We all take inspiration for our wedding from something. Some detail we fell in love with in someone else’s wedding. Some vintage piece our grandmother passed down. Some color, smell, season. But this couple, this gorgeous couple, took inspiration from the city where they met and fell in love – San Francisco. And the wedding, planned by the wonderful Amy Nichols Special Events – it’s phenomenal. Absolutely perfect. It’s a little modern, very clean and simple, and yet so chic and beautiful. SO very San Fransisco. Mission totally accomplished. I know you will love this wedding just as much as I do – so make sure you check out the rest of Lori Paladino Photography‘s view of the fabulous day in the full image gallery.
When we got engaged, Lee said that he’d found his southern belle, though not exactly true, I’m from Southern California, not the deep South! I met and married a charming Tennessee boy in the city where we fell in love and now live, San Francisco. With our nearest and dearest traveling from near and far, we decided to create a wedding that celebrated the City.
Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral is the oldest Catholic cathedral in California and is truly a blessed location, built in 1854, the outer walls and bell tower were just about the only things in downtown SF that withstood the shaking and fires after the great 1906 earthquake. The priest who married us, Father Bart, was perfect too—he is a Catholic Southerner! During our engagement, Father Bart took the time to get to know us and his homily was spot on. He had the congregation laughing with him and our ceremony could not have been more special. We fell in love with the Ferry Building as a venue—it’s a historic building on the water with beautiful views of the Bay Bridge and the added bonus was that Paula leDuc Fine Catering is the exclusive caterer.
Once we had a date, the venue and the church, it was time to start thinking about the details! After searching through all kinds of poof and lace at bridal salons throughout San Francisco, I finally found a dress that fit my personality at Priscilla of Boston. From the minute I tried it on, I knew my search was over. I then began working with the fabulous husband and wife design team, Samantha and Owen Troy, the brains behind Designs des Troy. They created every printed piece imaginable from our save the dates and invitations, to the table cards to the welcome bag letters. All in all, they created 25 unique icons to represent some of our favorite landmarks in San Francisco which we later used on each of our tables in lieu of simple table numbers. Their work was simply stunning! Classic Cable Cars trotted our guests from the hotels to the church and back to the celebrate at the Ferry Building in style. Tainted Love was on board to ensure the dance floor was rocking all night long with fabulous 80’s tunes—and they did not disappoint.
Then, we were in over our heads. We brought on Amy Nichols Special Events to provide creative feedback, make vendor suggestions and orchestrate our wedding weekend with pizzazz! Amy put me in touch with Emily from Soulflower, thank goodness. Emily was able to take my lack of floral knowledge and comments like, “I like these, but not this” and create a beautiful ambiance. Paula Le Duc put together a menu including the finest seasonal and local ingredients. They even paired local wines to match perfectly with the meal. Simply perfection. Gerhard Michler created a delicious cake with multiple flavored tiers for when guests needed a sweet bite between dance moves. Thanks to Lori Paladino and her talented team, we have lasting memories of a beautiful evening!
It was a night I will never forget! But, most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my parents. They truly believe that love is something that should celebrated, and so they threw one hell of a party!
Photography: Lori Paladino Photography / Ceremony Venue: Old St. Mary’s Church / Reception Venue: Ferry Building / Event Planner: Amy Nichols Special Events / Caterer: Paula LeDuc Fine Catering / Floral Design: Soulflower Design Studio / Band: Tainted Love / Lighting: Got Light? / Cake: Gerhard Michler, Creative International / Stationery: Design des Troy / Transportation: Classic Cable Car / Dress: Priscilla of Boston / Shoes: Jimmy Choo